Product description

'It reads like fiction, but it is, astonishingly, history.' - The Times In 1917, an eccentric band of British spies is smuggled into newly-Soviet Russia. Their goal? To defeat Lenin's plan to destroy British India and bring down the democracies of the West. These extraordinary spies, led by Mansfield Cumming, proved brilliantly successful. They found a wholly new way to deal with enemies, one that relied on espionage and dirty tricks rather than warfare. They were the unsung founders of today's modern, highly professional secret services. They were also the inspiration for fictional heroes to follow, from James Bond to Jason Bourne.

Author information

Giles Milton is a writer and historian. He is the bestselling author of Nathaniel's Nutmeg, Big Chief Elizabeth, The Riddle and the Knight, White Gold, Samurai William, Paradise Lost and, most recently, Wolfram. His books have been translated into 18 languages. White Gold is currently being piloted as a major Channel 4 series. He has also written two novels and three children's books, two of them illustrated by his wife Alexandra. He lives in South London. Find out more about Giles and his books by visiting the following links. Personal website: www.gilesmilton.com Wikipedia: www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giles_Milton Twitter: www.twitter.com/survivehistory Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Giles-Milton-Writer/121068034610842

Review quote

Giles Milton's fast-packed account of Britain's attempts to sabotage Lenin's revolution reads like a madcap thriller... Milton has synthesised and filleted a mass of material - old memoirs, official archives and newly released intelligence files - to produce a rollicking tale... which explains the long war against Russia with verve, wit and colour. It reads like fiction, but it is, astonishingly, history. The Times This gripping history of derring-do and invisible ink brings to life the exploits of the British spies who waged war against Russia during the Cold War ... Full of novelistic flourishes ... [readers] will find themselves as gripped as they would be by the very best of Fleming or le Carre. The Sunday Times A terrific story, told with Milton's customary fluency and eye for detail. Mail on Sunday Milton is a compulsive storyteller whose rattling style ensures this is the antithesis of a dry treatise on espionage. And unlike 007, it's all true. Daily Express This chronicle of British undercover push back against Bolshevik world conspiracy proves to be an exciting ringside seat at the Russian Revolution... accomplished British author Milton does a fine job of keeping order without sparing suspense... A beguiling ride through a riotous time by a historian and able storyteller who knows his facts and his audience. Kirkus (starred review) With this marvelous, meticulously researched and truly ground-breaking account of British spies working in Lenin's stripling Soviet Union, Giles Milton - with his best book so far - reminds us of a time when the spying game was dangerous, fun and even, dare one say it cool. Simon Winchester, author of THE MAN WHO UNITED THE STATES